Government shutdown could impact travelers, TSA chief warns

Americans traveling around the country during the holidays could face longer waits at airports if a partial government shutdown occurs, the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned Thursday.

Congress and the Biden administration face a midnight deadline Friday to agree on a spending measure to fund the government, or else partial government shutdown will start. When partial shutdowns occur, non-essential government workers are out of a job, although many essential workers continue to work without pay during the shutdown.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement to X that most of the TSA workforce is considered essential and will continue to help provide security at the nation’s airports waiting times at airports for travelers.

“At TSA, which is part of DHS, about 59,000 of the agency’s 62,000+ employees are considered essential and will continue to work without pay if the shutdown occurs. We expect to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2,” Peksoske wrote.

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The TSA administrator has warned that the extended government shutdown could mean longer waits for year-end holiday travelers. (Reuters/George Frey/Reuters Photos)

“While our staff are ready to handle the high volume of travelers and ensure safe travel, please be aware that the extended shutdown may mean longer waiting times at airports,” he added.

A particularly busy travel period is expected in late December and early January, as it is traditionally given Christmas and New Year holidays.

AAA predicted that the year-end holiday season would bring record levels of travelers, surpassing that figure pre-epidemic the record.

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Most TSA employees are considered essential and must work through a partial government shutdown. (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)

The AAA 2024 Year-End Travel Forecast predicted that there will be 119.33 million Americans traveling during the year-end holiday season.

That total includes 107 million car travelers and 7.85 million air travelers, as well as 4.47 million travelers using other modes of transportation.

AAA’s year-end travel forecast for 2024 is slightly higher than the record 119.3 million Americans traveled in 2019, up from 108 million that year motoristsas well as 7.33 million air travelers and 3.89 million who used other modes of transportation.

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AAA’s forecast also represents a 2.8% increase from 2023, with a 2.4% increase in car travelers, plus a 4.7% increase in air travelers and a 9.7% increase in other modes of transportation.